THE  CREWE WORKS NARROW GAUGE SYSTEMS

As the Grand Junction Railway/London North Western Railway expanded, the Crewe Loco Works site was extended westwards alongside the line to Chester. However two main roads, namely Edleston Road and Flag Lane, crossing the route meant that the workshops were divided into what became the Old Works, Deviation Works and Steelworks with only two standard gauge lines connecting all three. These two lines being the original Chester route subsequently diverted as the Works expanded.

 

The Old Works was equipped with an 18 inch narrow gauge system connecting the various shops, operated by small steam locos and small flat wagons, with a single line leading under the main North Signal box up a ramp to the railway station. All photographic evidence that has come to light shows wagons being propelled up the ramp to the station.

Deviation Works on the West side of Edleston Road was also equipped with an 18 inch gauge system, but this being the main Joiners/Millwrights/Chain Shops site no steam locos operated this area. This system was additionally equipped with specially designed narrow gauge wagons for carrying timber being much taller with larger cast wheels and detachable wooden side planks. Movement of all the Deviation narrow gauge trucks was by either manually propelling them or most often employing the use of the various hydraulic/electric and dummy capstans with dedicated tow ropes for that purpose.  These capstans would also be used to move standard gauge wagons in the Deviation siding, if need arose. In the cellar below the Chain shop there was at the close, an unconnected 18 inch gauge line running the length of the building with a single low flat wagon in use.

Most of the track work in the Deviation was of rectangular section being inlaid and bolted through the rail into the wooden flooring inside the Joiners Shop. The various pointwork was of the same rectangular section, changed by use of heel of your shoe giving it a shove or crowbar if sticking. There was additionally an 18 inch gauge wagon turntable set in the floor just through the rail doorway, being turned manually or using rope and capstan.

.

The Locomotives

The locos did not carry numbers, only names in brass. All were what is now termed single man operation, the footplate only big enough to take one man. He was driver/fireman/shunter and they probably had their own engine.

The original locos being built as small saddle tank engines, originally had a tall chimney but these were over time reduced in height.

For the new Steelworks system two new locos were built with side tanks and initially could be driven from either end.

The Wagons

There were two basic types of narrow gauge wagons all with dumb buffers as part of the side frames, the first type being very low to the ground and could be stacked if required. The second type was larger, having much larger diameter wheels and were designed for carrying timber of all sorts in and around the Joiners shop in the Deviation Works, as well as a few of the low type. The small wagons were found to have open ended grease type axle boxes, whilst the larger wagons had dedicated oil holes drilled on an angle matching a drilled hole in the cast axle boxes. In 2024 some previously unknown LNWR official postcards came to light that show that both the small and larger timber wagons had also been used at the LNWR’s canalside Sleeper Depot at Brentford, near London. Their size and design matched those in the Joiners Shop.

What few photos there are show only the low flat type wagons in the Steel Works. In all cases the locos and wagons were connected using a simple towbar similar in shape to an upturned elongated U. Photos show the locos carrying one of these on the footplate when not in use. None of the wagons had any type of braking.

SYSTEM CLOSURE

As modern petrol internal transport began so the narrow gauge system was laid aside being understood the Old Works first, then the Steelworks, with the Joiners system lasting until the whole of the Deviation Works was closed and abandoned. All three areas where the narrow gauge operated have now been redeveloped, with the remains of the slope to the station being the only evidence there was any narrow gauge at all.

Subsequently, four wagons (3 in Crewe 1 in Betws-y-coed), were recovered along with other items from the Deviation Works for preservation, courtesy of BR, prior to its demolition.

For a full account of this facinating system it is worth tracking down a copy of this book